A Comparative Analysis of Long-term Care Policies and Placements

The objective of this study was to determine whether provincial health policies influence the supply of long-term care in a province, and the care received by residents that require it. This was achieved by first conducting a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of the long-term care policies of Alberta and Ontario, and then comparing health conditions of long-term care and assisted living/retirement home residents in both provinces. The latter comparisons used information collected from comparable versions of the Resident Assessment Instrument – Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) and the RAI-MDS Home Care. The study hypothesis was that provinces with health policies favouring institutional over community care would have a higher proportion of residents with lower care requirements in institutional settings. The results show that this is not the case, and that institutional settings house those with high care needs in both provinces.MAS